NIMS Book Review

Imagine waking up on an island, that doesn't exist. A place where there is only one way in, and one way out. With teenagers and animals from all around the world appearing here, and dangers around every corner. An island with rules, and romance. A island called Nil that Charley, Thad, and everyone who is brought here have to escape from, before there time runs out. This is the book Nil by Lynne Matson, and the story of Charley and Thad.

procedures that must be followed in case of accidents, it also specifies that classrooms and

What components should be included in the planning efforts and the final plan? How are operational plans defined, and what do they contain?

Organisational safety management implies that disasters happen out of a complexity of intermingled reasons but not due to technical factors alone. Proper event management is a

As stated earlier, the 9/11 attacks revealed the indomitable spirit of the US and awakened a sleeping giant, which was very reminiscent of the US response following the attacks by the Japanese on US forces in Hawaii. Both 9/11 and Pearl Harbor attacks galvanized the American people into action and caused the government to heavily invest resources to combat enemies of the US; the Axis enemies during World War II and “the terrorists”, wherever they may be located, following 9/11. One of the first NIST deficiencies to be corrected were the operational protocols for intra- and inter-agency communication. This, in part, has been addressed in the Incident Command System (ICS) since the purpose of ICS is to integrate operations between public safety entities at all levels of government.

The CPG 101 incorporates the concepts of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) into the planning guide. NIMS is the result of Homeland Security Directive Five. The directive came from President Bush February 28, 2003. The goal of NIMS was to offer a necessary foundation for emergency management to identify, prepare, respond and recover in any emergent situation. The approach and vocabulary established with NIMS remains the same nationwide to ensure consistency.

After September 11, 2001, the Department of Homeland of Security was formed in response to the terrorist attacks. Out of the birth of the agencies formed, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was created to allow clear allocation of resources and a systematic approach to emergency management. The system can be effective in many responses where many levels of government and response are imminent to respond to the disaster. Many of these agencies are emergency management, police, fire, health, and EMS from all levels of government. NIMS can be used on any type of incident and of any size or scope in nature.

Emergency services face vast difficulties in the operations field when handling emergency situations, whether it comes from handling a minor accident to a catastrophic catastrophy. Many of the difficulties do not come from the actual incident, but instead they arise from forming a rescue team containing different agencies and people. For the benefit off all individuals participating, it is imperative that there be a unified command structure in place to effectively coordinate and oversee the tasks that need to be accomplished. The need of a unified command was seen from the hardships faced in incidents, bringing forth the development of the Incident Command System that was designed to be used in an array of conditions, to bring all

I see the utility for its intended audience, as well as for a casual reader, curious about emergency response for incidents which occur on or near college campuses. The format of the article allowed me as novice to the National Incident Management System to stay engaged and grasp the concept. There are only there main sections to this article, “Understanding NIMS”, “Becoming Compliant” and the “Conclusion”. The two sub-sections of this Understanding NIMS section manage to provide an overview that helps the reader to understand NIMS in just seven short paragraphs. The Illinois Criminal Justice Authority report offers a brief glimpse of history about campuses incidents, without going into great detail, to spark the interest of the

NIMS is a uniform set of processes and procedures that emergency responders at all levels of government will use to conduct response operations. NIMS helps improve cooperation and interoperability among organizations. The framework is adaptable and accessible. It encourages all hazards preparedness. NIMS enables a variety of organizations to contribute successfully in emergency management and incident response. NIMS creates uniform professional emergency management and incident response practices.

The book, “National Incident Management System: Principles and Practice,” by Dr. Donald W. Walsh, Dr. Hank T. Christen, Christian E. Callsen, Geoffrey T. Miller, Paul M. Maniscalco, Graydon C. Lord, and Neal J. Dolan, describes ICS as, “…a system for domestic incident management that is based on an expandable, flexible structure…” (Walsh, et al., 2012, p. 12). Due to this flexibility, Walsh et al. state that ICS is commonly used by all levels of government as well as by a number of non-governmental agencies and the private sector. ICS is structured around five sections. These sections are command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration (Walsh, et al., 2012,

The NIMS system, or National Incident Management System, was developed by Fema to create a nationwide framework and aid in the coordination of all governmental: tribal, local, state, and federal governments; with the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. This system creates a framework for all of the groups listed above to work in a more organized, efficient manner and create better outcomes when a disaster occurs in the community. The system is set up to aid in the coordination of these groups to prevent, mitigate, and manage any incident regardless

The NIMS model of incident Command Systems (ICS) will be used as the framework for all responses to hazardous material releases. This will allow flexibility to rapidly activate and establish an organizational structure around the functions that need to be performed to efficiently mitigate an incident (Washoe County LEPC, 2006).

Incident management would be controlled by APD and they would be responsible for designing and executing NIMS doctrine (Safety Act)

Establishing the incident command system is first and foremost. The system establishes a common organizational structure that is conducive for different types of agencies as well as multiple jurisdictions to be able to effectively work together in response to the situation. The components of this system include the Incident Commander, who oversees all aspects of the disaster response, operations, planning, logistics and finance/administrative (Briggs & Twomey, 2003).